No abstract

In low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), the burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes is rapidly rising, overpassing the existing burden of communicable diseases. Patients with diabetes living in low-income communities face unique challenges related to lack of awareness, difficulty in accessing health care systems and medications, and consequently failure in achieving optimal diabetes management and preventing complications. Effective diabetes prevention and care models could help reduce the rising burden by standardizing guidelines for prevention and management, improving access to care, engaging community and peers, improving the training of professionals and patients and using the newest technology in the management of the disease. In this article, we review the latest research and evidence on effective models of diabetes prevention and diabetes care delivery in low-income settings. We also provide existing evidence relating to the effectiveness of these models in low-resource contexts, with the aim to highlight characteristics and strengths that make their implementation successful and long-lasting.

Aims: The aim of this study was to clarify the association between obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS)-related symptoms and physician-diagnosed asthma and COPD.Methods: 1501 subjects aged 19-90 years completed a structured questionnaire and underwent spirometry and respiratory physician assessment in 10 primary care centres.Results: Frequent snoring was reported in 45.6%, breathing pauses during sleep in 11.0%, and excessive daytime sleepiness in 6.7% of the sample. COPD patients were more likely to report frequent snoring (OR=1.34; 95% CI:1.04-1.71), breathing pauses (OR=1.46; 95% CI:1.01-2.10), and excessive daytime sleepiness (OR=2.04; 95% CI:1.33-3.14). In contrast, there was no significant association between asthma patients and OSAHS-related symptoms. Gender differences were recognised as well. Conclusions:The increased likelihood for OSAHS-related symptoms in COPD patients, in contrast to patients with asthma, designates them as a target group for the screening of OSAHS in primary care.

Background: During gestation, the primordial thymus migrates from the pharynx to the anterior mediastinum, thus thymic tissue can remain at any point along this path. Intrathyroidal thymic remnants are rare, and their sonographic patterns have only recently been described. This retrospective study presents the sonographic appearance of ectopic intrathyroidal thymus and emphasizes the role of sonography in order to avoid misdiagnosis. Methods: The population consisted of 42 children, 3.5-14 years old, who had a thyroid sonogram performed due to a positive family history or symptoms indicative of thyroid disease, and ectopic intrathyroidal thymus was recognized. Results: In all patients, the same pattern was revealed: a fusiform intrathyroidal lesion, with no mass effect, homogeneously hypoechoic, with diffuse bright internal echoes. The similarity to the characteristic sonographic pattern of the normal mediastinal thymus was crucial for the diagnosis of ectopic intrathyroidal thymic tissue. In 8 cases, a normal elongated thymus was found connected to the thyroid with an accessory lobe embedded in the lower thyroid pole. The above sonographic appearances mimicked a thyroid nodule. Conclusions: Awareness of the sonographic patterns of the ectopic intrathyroidal thymus is mandatory to avoid misdiagnosis. In most cases, further investigation is unnecessary, but sonographic follow-up should be recommended.

The present study supports the utility and applicability of the CORE-index as a screening tool for the early identification of infants that are potentially at a higher risk for becoming obese at their childhood and adolescence. This tool could be routinely used by health professionals to identify infants at high risk and provide appropriate counselling to their parents and caregivers so as to maximize the effectiveness of early obesity prevention initiatives. What is known? • Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. • Certain perinatal and socio-demographic indices that were previously identified as correlates of childhood obesity in children were combined to develop the CORE-index, a screening tool that estimates obesity risk in 9-13 year-old children. What is new? • The utility and applicability of the CORE-index as screening tool can be extended to the age range of 6-15 years. • The CORE-index is a cost-effective screening tool that can assist health professionals in initiating obesity preventive measures from early life.